Stevan Mitchell is VP of IP Policy wtih the Electronic Software Association. He was up in Canada lobbying the "IP caucus" on changes that the ESA thinks Canada should make in Canada's copyright legislation. The Business News Network asked us to debate the issue, which we did yesterday here.
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Great job. You toasted him in that debate.
ReplyDeleteI saw their presentation yesterday to a group of Ontario bureaucrats. I asked them whether this emphasis on locking down content and increasing sanctions and enforcement was a diversion from developing new business models. The response was that game companies are doing various things like trying subscription models and online add-ons for legitimate buyers. Fair enough. Why don't they stick with those strategies?
I also raised the privacy issue of having ISPs monitor our traffic. They just blubbered in response.
We should send these guys packing.
Loved he debate. I think you did an excellent job at representing the needs of Canadians. I hate the idea of buying entertainment and it being locked to being used on a specific device.
ReplyDeleteAs a Canadian citizen I would like to say thank you Mr. Knopf. It reassuring to know we have knowledgeable people like you working to protect our rights and not let certain corporations bully us.
ReplyDeleteTwo quotes in particular I really liked
"no, we are doing something wrong as far as certain big American corporations are concerned and they've persuaded their government. That doesn't mean that its wrong"
Big corporations have been having their way with governments for far to long.
"shouldn't the consumer be able to decide. Why should some business down in hollywood decide for Canadian consumers. Right now you have a right to make a backup copy of a computer program but you don;t have the right, in Canada, to make a backup comy of an entertainment DVD, a film, or a videogame. I mean it's a silly distinction"
Couldn't agree more. Whether it's a game, music, a movie or a piece of software we should have the right to produce a back up for our personal use.
Once again thank you and keep up the good work!
-DG
You had a strong arguement but it was too intellectual and verbose. You need better sound bytes to sell your side. For example, he had a very memorable point with his console hacking chip.
ReplyDeleteNo one cares about backups. It is some technical term concerning something we are supposed to do to but don't.
Most people rip CDs to their computer and then make compilations. How can something so widespread be illegal or even criminal?
Yeah Howard Knopf. Your the man. Protect us from these excess copyrights. I just saw your interview where you raped Stevan Mitchell. Oh man I was so convinced by your speech. Thanks Howard. Backing up our CDs is legal and should stay legal. I dont wanna spend another 60 dollars because these cds are so fragile. GO HOWARD.
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